Walking In A Leash?

[Grape]

I was wondering how easy/difficult is it to train your cat to walk with a leash and harness? Does anyone here do that with their cats?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
My boy was approximately 10 years old at the time, and I was very careful to introduce the harness to him inside the house first. He tried very hard to tell me he ABSOLUTELY could not possibly never ever walk right , however eventually we then were able to go into the fenced backyard without a lot of distractions, and after a while he became his usual confident self in his blue harness

Time and patience, and it is so very worth it

Just in case you haven't seen this already;
Harness And Leash Training For Cats

 

[fionasmom]

I had three cats who used harnesses in order to sit outside without leaving the back yard. Fiona was one of them. All three were rescued from situations where they had a lot of area to roam and they objected to being indoor only, although they basically were that if they were not tethered on the back patio. I was always home when they were out and they had long leads, enough to even catch mice. All three accepted it very well. Only mishap was Zoe lunged at a mouse and cut off her oxygen and blacked out. Once I rushed her to the vet it was confirmed that is what happened.

 

[Antonio65]

I had trained both my cats to walk on a leash and harness.
I started with short walks in the backyard. At first they didn't want to move and it seemed they were playing dead. After a while they learned it was the only way to go out.

One of them just loved to walk around the house. She got so used to the leash and its length that when I decided to try and let her out without leash, 15 years later, she wouldn't go further than the leash would have allowed her to.

The other cat was so well trained and quiet that I was able to lead her for some walks on the main road (sidewalk). People who would see us were wondering if she was a cat or a dog

 

[Grape]

I did not see that Furballsmom, thank you for the link. Thank you all for the helpful replies!

 

[danteshuman]

I trained my boy to walk on the leash (or for me to walk behind him, holding his leash like an idiot has he stares at something for 5 minutes .) I also trained his two siblings. How? I trained them to wear the harness inside first (& gave them a treat every time I took the harness off.) Then I trained them to drag a short leash attached to their harness, behind them (inside.) Then I trained them to go outside.

My boy I leave my sliding glass door to my patio when I take him for walks. Sometimes he gets scared/startled by a truck driving by. So I release his 26 foot leash and let him run home, which he always does (home is almost always within my line of view.)

Today I was doing my “come on” gentle tug tug tug & he was not budging! (again!) .... the tug barely moves his harness, it is a gentle reminder. So I walked slowly away from him and didn’t feel the ‘I’m not moving’ take tell yuh of the leash. I glance behind me and the little jerk is trotting 10 feet behind me with his tail up! (In the past I have picked him up and carried him when he refused to budge.) I’m working on getting him to eat treats on my patio to build up to him eating treats when he meets new people.

Expect harness training to take weeks or months. Break it up into little baby steps and include lots of treats/praise.

Of the 3 kittens Jackie gets the most harness time. I let him run harness free in my mom’s backyard where his sister runs free to (his brother jumped the fence into a dog’s yard and is grounded.) So outside time with the boys is in their harness or closely monitored with a squirt gun. (They aren’t allowed within 5 feet of the areas they escape from.)
The three minions I raised from 4 weeks. From left to right, Jackie, Cami & Nick :

& pics of the boys on their harness:

What is more fun then being outside? Rolling in dirt/sand! My goofball Jackie:

I’m a panther in the jungle! My boy’s brother Nick.... yes I got them matching harnesses: